CrunchyChocolate555

I asked about this topic before, but I decided to start a new thread because it's still not improving no matter what I do. I believe the problem started when I was about 8-9 years old, I was lying flat on my back and another kid was ran across me stomping me right in the solar plexus. My vision went black for a second but I felt relatively OK, didn't think too much of it. It's only now that I realize I think that accident was more serious than I thought. I have ENORMOUS difficulties breathing despite all my best efforts in trying to correct it. In fact, I have spent at least 1 hour per day in the past 3 months consciously working on my breathing, trying various methods of correcting mechanics, posture, refocusing on which areas to tense and which areas to relax, overall relaxation, awareness, etc. drawing from the best sources I could find. But it has barely helped at all. The problem is basically that I feel a huge stuck "ball" in my solar plexus area, actually a bit lower, in the upper abdominal area, and right behind my left rib. It feels like theres a grapefruit sized chunk of dried glue that is preventing anything from moving in that area. It restricts my breathing range of motion to about no more than 50% of what it could be, judging by my estimation, and so as you can imagine, this causes me a whole range of difficulties. I have been able to successfully release this ball at least partially on a number of occasions, during very deep and relaxed meditation, but within about 1-2 hours after the sessions, it goes back to usual, and I feel even more frustrated. Imagine only being able to use half of your lung capacity, it's like being constricted by a boa! Of course things like stress and caffeine (both of which I try to avoid as much as possible) make the problem worse, but it is still always there regardless. I'm getting extremely frustrated about this whole issue and my frustration is only making it worse. I don't know what to do anymore! I'm to the point where I am starting to think this could be a neurological issue where my brainstem is unable to coordinate all the different parts correctly, as when I focus on releasing tension in my brainstem and relaxing that area, my breathing gets significantly better- this idea is reinforced by Mantak Chia in one of his books... and it makes sense, but I don't know if it's the problem in my case, in fact I could be way off. I also have a subloxated vertebrae behind the area where the spasm is located, which could be making it worse as well. I don't know. I am thinking about seeing an Alexander technique teacher but I'm unsure if he would be able to help me. I guess I won't know 'til I try though. I'm thinking about trying things outside of conventional breathing correction techniques, as that has almost never worked so far. Something outside the box. Any ideas?

Thanks for sharing! Aleve is an anti-inflammatory med though

Oh my yes. I look and feel much "healthier". I did get a juicer and I'm using it every day too! I found a great new avenue of exploration that I started experimenting with and shows a lot of promise: the Buteyko breathing method. The idea is that a lot of people are deprived of Co2 (yes, you read that right) and it causes all sorts of problems including bad posture and muscle rigidity (which is a large part of my problem). I will try doing the breathing method more regularly and find out as much as I can about it and keep you guys posted.

I havn't had any gluten, casein for a couple of months and right now I'm following the GAPS diet to repair a leaky gut..

Sweet. Thanks again

WOW! How have I never heard about this??!! I just ordered the book, and will try to find a qualified practitioner in my area. Seems like it might just work..

I'll check it out. I've thought about seeing a specialist but I don't know which would be the right one for me. I have also thought about looking into biofeedback training for real-time feedback. Does anyone have any experience with that?

Yes, I have, but not daily. The times I have done it, it didn't seem very effective, although it did stir up some emotions. I say it didn't seem effective because I wasn't able to find any trigger points or anything particularly out of the ordinary. Seems like the target area is hidden behind the ribs. If I can provide some more information, here's what seems to happen: When I exhale, my upper abdominals quickly and strongly collapse inwards, and stay strongly contracted on the next inhale. It seems like I have little control over what the muscles do in this area, and it becomes a struggle to let them go. It's like it's extremely hard to just let everything relax in that area. It takes about 30 minutes to get into a ballpark range of where I can just let it to "let go" and begin working on my breath (inhaling with the sides, back, and upper lungs, etc.).

I have seen 2 different acupuncturists on a number of occasions, one of which is now my teacher. I would have thought by now he would have tried using needles to help correct the issue, as he correctly diagnosed me with the problem without me telling him about it specifically (he told me I have a "ball" in my upper abdomen). He is however treating me for liver qi stagnation using herbs, but that has not helped so far. I don't know how much the liver stagnation has to do with it. To compound the problem, since I've had the issue for such a long time, all the ligaments and fascia in that area have shortened and atrophied, so stretching it out requires an enormous amount of tension and causes a lot of pain. What I have found the most effect for stretching it so far is: sitting down, bending down my upper back, taking a deep inhale, feeling the ball descend, holding the breath, and sitting back upright, I can feel by neck pulling up on the ball, stretching it out and causing discomfort. The idea is that it should remain in that descended position regardless of wether I am bent down or upright, but its like it physically can't go down that far. It's driving me nuts, seriously. It's actually seriously pissing me off, and I bet that's what's causing the liver stagnation!

I noticed it gets better after eating because the added weight in the stomach helps push that area down..

Deep horsestance will fix any root chakra issue.

One final, final question for Sifu Terry When do you plan on releasing Volume 6 in the series?

What I believe to be true, in the bottom of my heart, is that we are beings with infinite potential, and that despite any kind of genuine powers and pure, honest intentions the healers may have, I won't allow myself to get caught up in spiritual authority. I rejoice in the opportunity to explore the implications of my thoughts and actions, and to learn from it. I am responsible for my life, and everything that has happened to me. I did it. As such, I will not put any blame on anything outside of "myself". My body may be "contaminated", but my soul, my self, Brahman, is pure. If I may just have the courage and tenacity to follow it back to the source, it will never steer me wrong.

Get this book: http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therapy-Workbook-Self-Treatment/dp/1572243759/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366504786&sr=1-1&keywords=trigger+point And this tool: http://www.amazon.com/Thera-Cane-JMAS5000-Massager/dp/B000PRMCJU/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366504811&sr=8-1&keywords=theracane Follow the instructions in the book. If you can't completely get rid of the pain within 2 weeks, (it will still get rid of most of it), that means there is something deeper in your nervous system that is holding the pain, in which case I would recommend you find a competent qigong or tai chi instructor. Another thing you might want to try (or use as a complement to the above) is Bruce Kumar Frantzis' "Tao of Letting go" water method. It is a meditative practice, but it goes to the root cause of blockages and ultimately ends up releasing pains and knots as well. Massage always helps. You can even try finding one to help you work with the above to accelerate the process^^^ The upper back is comprised of the thoracic spine, which contains the heart and lungs. Have you seen an acupuncturist to verifiy whether you may have problems with these organs? Often, resolving these issues will relieve nervous tension in the associated rachis and vertebrae, effectively releasing the pain. Also make sure you're breathing properly, and that you have proper posture! And always, get to the root of the issue as much as you are able to do so. Good luck.

I would say, DON'T GIVE UP and keep up the good work! Why? Because I didn't feel diddly for the first few years of doing qigong. Ziltch. Nada. Not even some tingling.. It's only in the past year after resuming qigong (I took a break for a few months) that suddenly, out of the blue, I started getting a very strong and tangible feeling of qi. Also, it may just be that for now, the qi is not taking on the form of being a physical sensation, it may perhaps be perceived by you through other means if you pay close attention. However, if I can speak from my experience with FPQG, the qi is incredibly strong and tangible, even despite the difficulties I am having with keeping good posture. If anyone is familiar with trigger points (tight bands of muscle fibers aka, knots), I have gained the ability through practice to consistently able to direct the qi I get from FPQG into these knots and feel the muscle start twitching, and the knot releasing after a few minutes of the energy "massaging" it out. I can attest to the fact that it is not placebo as the "knot" is then greatly diminished afterwards, and gone after a few sessions. It can even be measured as I have been able to relax my tight shoulders and let them naturally expand outwards a few centimeters (they used to be so tight and pulled in that this was not physically possible). I believe this is how in part, it can even heal long-lasting pain-inducing physical injuries (which from my research, are mostly caused by the trigger points that remain after the initial injury). So now I am having the luxury of simply doing the exercises, and then during or afterwards, exploring my body for any blockages, keeping my awareness there, and letting the qi do the work. The effects are much stronger whilst actually doing the exercise (but that's why I wanted to make sure with Sifu Terry if it is OK to do it like this) I have also been able to release several subloxated vertebrae in several sessions this way (that even chiros weren't able to help with despite their best efforts). I am still working on a major subloxated vertebrae (T8-10) that is really hard because by very nature of having to stay upright during the postures, I can't get it to relax. But I can still direct the energy there for healing afterwards, or any time for that matter. I have had my greatest success in helping to heal my neck and shoulders in this way, and I have still have a lot more left to explore. It really is an incredibly enjoyable and fun process.

Thanks for the fantastic advice everyone. I'm taking little bits and pieces from all of you! I must admit I am having some *phenomenal* success with just doing Flying Phoenix Qigong and Tai Chi. I feel good. Nothing is lacking. There really isn't any problem.. and that's not just some mantra, I really mean it.

What if I have bad knees and reallly tight and problematic hip flexors, glutes, and spinal extensors? And I few subloxated vertebrae that prevent me from sitting up straight? It's an interesting theory that Kundalini could instantly fix that but I don't believe it. That said, I aspire to one day be able to sit in full lotus! It looks like a lot of fun.

You're right, thanks. About the telepathy, that was tongue-in-cheek. I meant it would be easier for me if I didn't have to actually go through the physical motions of opening my mouth and producing sound, as that's what I have trouble with and stirs up emotions...

Well, I do have liver qi stagnation, so I suppose it's anger/frustration related, but I am NOT a violent person at all. Never have been. Thanks for the visualisation tip, I will definitely try that my next hike up the mountain in a couple of days.

Oh yes, there many things that have left a mark on me, and this is 100% definitely a complex I have developed and honed for myself, but now I don't know how to get rid of it. I'm not sure about being an empath. I think it's more of a fear of what others think of me, rather than actually feeling other people's emotions. Like when I say something, anything, I almost always end up analyzing what I just said and coming to the conclusion that I shouldn't have said that, or said it differently. Constantly afraid of having offended someone with what I said or implied something that I didn't intend. So as a result, I play it super safe and try to be as nice and as quiet as I can, but I know I'm holding it all back so it comes out weird every. single. time. Do that enough times and you don't really feel like speaking anymore, you know what I mean? I also have a lot of trouble controlling the tone and intonation of my voice, which is related to the problem in my solar plexus, but also probably has something to do with my throat chakra. (my entire throat and neck area is chock FULL of trigger points (tight bundles of muscle fiber that have nearly solidified) and the muscles are all tight and hard as rocks.) I'll bet if I could communicate telepathically with people this communication thing wouldn't be as much of an issue. I really wish I could just speak my mind and not give a damn. I sort of can on the internet (but I mean hey, so can anyone!)

Negative on all counts. I am extremely fortunate that I have almost no obligations and no outside stress in my life at the moment. The only reason I entertained the idea of having an entity (prior to my consultation), is because all my physical symptoms "matched". I can't say I feel "possessed", but I wouldn't deny it if someone told me I did and I would in fact, say that makes a lot of sense. Other than that, my dreams are pretty cool and normal, I don't have and never had even remotely any kind of paranormal experience either. If I could just release that stuck ball of crap in my solar plexus I would be golden.

I need some practical advice.. thetaoiseasy, or anyone else.. Here are the 2 biggest difficulties I'm facing right now, everything else put aside; 1) Bad breathing and bad posture. My diaphragm is constantly "stuck" and I always feel like I'm suffocating. This is probably due to several factors, but the most prominent ones I have been able to identify are several pinched nerves in my spine and lots of trigger points in many many muscles in my body. Qigong, taichi and meditation have all been invaluable in helping to relieve this, so that is why I plan on continuing. Should I discontinue my practice anyway? 2) Relates to #1; when I am around people, literally anyone, especially when they first appear in my line of vision, my solar plexus starts BURNING, and my breathing becomes extremely shallow, and my whole body rigid. This isn't even anxiety. I'm not anxious or scared, it's just how my body seems to react. Furthermore, my mind starts racing as I try to act as "normal" as possible and not come across as a weirdo. So that's why I try to avoid people as much as possible... even my close friends. Until I can at least get #1 fixed, you know? It's frustrating because now when I'm around people and get acclimated to them, I still feel pretty bad, during and afterwards, because I wasn't able to express myself fully and properly. That stuck ball in my solar plexus prevents me from expressing any power and so it gets repressed and eats me up inside. Sometimes I actually feel like crying as soon as I open my mouth. It's totally ridiculous and it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. So if I go for a nice hike up the mountain... tons of people passing by and I can't help but overthink things. Do I relax and act natural and come across as weird? Do I put on my best smile and say hello? I can't stop my body's reaction.. it just happens, and it doesn't seem to adapt, or have any progressive desensitization go on... So what do I do? Should I just try to go out in nature more (and follow all your points along with that, cleaning and purifying mind and input, etc.), or should I just muster up the courage and try to be more social despite how crappy it makes me feel? I have absolutely no problem being alone. I mean, I reallllly wouldn't mind having a girlfriend right now, but I simply don't feel it could possibly work out until I get all this very basic stuff fixed... I mean, it literally feels like, you know when you put two magnets of the same pole face to face? that's the feeling I get in my body around others, and it almost never goes away until I'm alone. When Im alone, I feel great, other than the trouble breathing part... I can read, I can practice, I can listen to music, I can dance, I can do whatever! I'm actually pretty happy. It's weird because I LIKE people, and deep down, I totally like being around them. Hell, I used to be a social butterfly... so I don't know what happened these past few months that got me being like this... Like I said, it's been ever since the incident in December.

Yes, I also believe this to be the justification behind the cost. I also totally believe 100% that her intentions and motivation is absolutely pure. I never put that in doubt, and I hope no one got the impression that I implied otherwise!

But I never said anything to the contrary! I totally agree that entities are a "pseudo-external" manifestation of your internal state.

Everybody's gotta make a living. I'm sure she has her reasons for charging this amount. I won't pass any judgment on it. It is what it is.